Recently, memory cards, such as a SD™ (Secure Digital) card, are used as a storage medium for a host apparatus, such as a personal computer. These memory cards are used by inserting into a card slot provided in the host apparatus. Generally, when the memory card is inserted into the card slot of the host apparatus, signal pins of the memory card are located in the back side of the card slot, and an opposite side of the memory card to the signal pins is exposed from the card slot. Thus, in a state where the memory card is inserted into the card slot, the opposite side of the memory card to the signal pins tends to be contacted from the outside.
If a human body contacts the memory card in such a state, static electricity generated on the human body may flow into the memory card and destroy the electronic circuitry provided in the memory card. Moreover, at a time of the insertion of the memory card into the card slot, the static electricity may flow into the memory card.
For example, a conventional memory card is described in Japanese Utility Patent Publication (Kokai) No. PH07-37672. This conventional memory card has a ground circuit pattern connected to a grounding terminal and a conductive cover member connected to the ground circuit pattern in order to prevent a problem resulting from static electricity.
In recent years, miniaturization of memory cards has increasingly progressed. From such a background, wiring patterns of electronic circuitry provided on printed circuit boards in memory cards are located on the opposite side to the that of the signal pins in many cases. As recognized by the present inventors, if the wiring patterns are located on the opposite side of the signal pins, static electricity may easily flow into the wiring patterns. For this reason, it is desired to prevent the problem resulting from the static electricity which flows in from the opposite side to the signal pins.